Slayers: Loss
by Magnus Prime
Summary: Book One of Three. Post-Slayers: Try - A wedding, a heartbreak, and a new adventure with an unusual traveling companion...
1. Chapter One

**Slayers Loss**  
by Magnus Prime

Chapter One

"Thank God!" exclaimed the young sorceress, as the lights of the town came into view. "I didn't wanna camp out again!"

"What town is this again?" Gourry asked.

"For the fourteenth time, it's Barata. BA-RA-TA. Can you remember it this time?"

"Remember what?"

Lina remembered to pound Gourry into the ground before entering the town. No sense in alarming the 'civvies,' after all.

Over the evening meal (although to some, it looked more like a melee) Lina commented, "It'll be interesting to see how much New Sairaag's been restored. We've been gone a long time."

Indeed they had. After the fall of the Great Barrier, Lina and Co. managed to be the first to venture to previously unexplored regions. During their travels, they met new people, took advantage of them, killed new monsters, and ultimately saved the world once again, this time from Valgaav and Darkstar. Naturally, after an adventure like this, it was time to return home. To brag, of course.

"Yeah, but it doesn't seem like it's been that long," Gourry replied through a chicken leg. "Everything seemed to happen so quickly, my memories of it are kinda blurry."

"But Gourry," Lina started sweetly, "aren't all your memories blurry?"

"Oh, yeah. I guess you're right," he replied, as his traveling companion face-faulted to the floor.

After her eyes cleared the edge of the table, Lina came to a great decision. "I'm going to bed," she announced.

"OK, I'm gonna go for a walk before turning in." Gourry had also come to a decision.

"Suit yourself. 'Night." Lina waved as she ascended the stairs to the rooms.

  


* * *

  
"What a nice town."

Barata was a quaint little village, similar to the small town Gourry called home so many years ago. The local economy appeared to be based around grain, much as grapes were to Zephillia. Gourry looked in one of the shop windows. _Wow! Bread!_

The sun began to set, making window-shopping impossible, so Gourry was naturally drawn to a well-lit building marked 'Pub.' Posted next to the sign was a newer sign that appeared to have been placed recently. The newer sign stated 'GIRLS GIRLS GIRLS!' Inside were the sounds of men enjoying the fruits of a hard day of work.

"Hmm," Gourry concluded, and went inside.

Gourry had been in bars before, but it was usually to help Lina beat someone up, usually by watching, but this bar seemed...different. In addition to the usual tables and chairs and unruly patrons, Gourry noticed that a section of the floor about six feet by eight feet had been cordoned off with a wooden railing with a pair of curtains leading to another room.

Naturally, Gourry was curious. Unfortunately, the first man he asked promptly showed him what he had eaten that day.

After cleaning himself off for the third time, Gourry decided to ask the bartender, who looked at him in disbelief before replying "Wait about five minutes" before returning to his work.

After five minutes passed the house lights dimmed. A spotlight made up of flames magnified through a lens was directed toward the stage. The curtains parted and a young woman stepped out.

_Wow, she's pretty._

Most of what she wore was purple...what little she ended up wearing, that is. At first, Gourry saw a woman with long dark hair with a hint of purple and wearing a long purple robe. Then the robe disappeared, and she was left with a bikini-style outfit, only with less fabric. She began to dance seductively, albeit somewhat awkwardly, as though she had just learned the moves.

Gourry was entranced. He was never the type to go for this kind of thing, but that didn't stop him from appreciating the young woman's beauty. She had long, well-toned legs, delicate hands, long hair he could run his fingers through for days, a perfect hourglass figure...

'...'

Gourry started. She seemed...familiar somehow, but as usual, memories were drawn to him like cats to water.

The dancer's back had been facing the audience during the earlier part of her gyration, but now she turned to face her audience, her hands running up the front of her body, cupping her breasts within the top of her outfit, and then moving to the straps that held the top in place. The other men started to go wild. Shouts of 'Yeah!' and 'Take it off, baby!' began to echo through the pub.

Gourry's eyes had traveled with her hands, curious as to what would happen next. When her hands went for her straps, his eyes traveled to her face, to her panicked green eyes... _Green eyes?_

Gourry bolted upright from his chair. "SYLPHIEL?"

The young woman's eyes locked on his, then she put her hands to her face and cried, "GOURRY-SAMA!!" and turned and ran back through the curtains into the back room.

Gourry charged the stage, knocking aside the bartender's attempt to stop him, leapt over the rail and disappeared behind the curtain.

The bartender was just picking himself off of the floor when one of the less sober patrons staggered up and asked "Think he knows her?" before receiving a punch to the nose.

  


* * *

  
"Sylphiel, what were you doing out there?!" Gourry nearly shouted.

The shrine-maiden-turned-stripper sat on a chair, held her face in her hands and refused to let go as she moisturized her hands with tears. "I was on my way to New Sairaag when I was robbed," came her muffled voice. "When I got here, I had no way to pay for the inn, but I couldn't camp outside the town." She removed her hands from her face, looked at Gourry, and then decided that the floor was easier to look at.

Gourry waited for her to finish her terrible tale, a look of concern on his face.

"The innkeeper said that he would pay if I would perform a few tasks around his bar." The priestess began to cry again, and Gourry knelt down so he could hold her, try to console her. She pressed the side of her face to his chest, wrapped her arms around him, and calmed enough to continue. "I thought I would just wait tables for a couple of days, Gourry-sama! I had no idea, but by the time I realized what the owner wanted me to do, it was too late!"

Gourry rose to his feet as Sylphiel began weeping for the third time, her tears of shame fueling the fire, the anger, in Gourry's noble heart. He walked with determination toward the curtain, his hand reaching for his sword.

"Gourry-sama, where are you going?" Sylphiel sniffed.

Gourry stopped, turned slowly, pointed to a door that led outside. "You'd better get dressed and get out of here, Sylphiel," he said with an unusual coldness to his voice

"I don't understand," the priestess replied, wiping tears from her face and heading to her closet.

Gourry's face matched his voice. "It's about to get real ugly in here, and I don't want you here to see it."

  


* * *

  
Sylphiel stood across the main road from the pub and watched wide-eyed as bar patrons flew out various windows and doors. Minutes later Gourry joined her at the side of the road, and she promptly latched on to him, her hands and face resting on his chest.

"Oh, Gourry-sama, somehow I knew you'd rescue me!" She gazed adoringly up at the face of her hero.

"Uh...thanks, Sylphiel."

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE!" a voice laced with red hair growled in the distance. At the sound of that hateful voice, Sylphiel glowered as she pressed herself closer to Gourry, if that were possible, and waited to see what would happen.

Lina repeated her question at a lowered decibel when she reached the pair.

Gourry fumbled around for the honorable answer, one that would preserve the shrine maiden's dignity, but said maiden cut to the chase and told Lina everything that happened, making sure to point out how "gallant" and "heroic" he was. Gourry scratched the back of his neck while looking at the pretty stars.

After Sylphiel finished gushing, Lina responded with a joyful 'Whatever,' and mumbled that she was going back to bed. Noticing the crowd that had gathered, she growled, "What are you looking at, there's nothing here to see," and low-charged a Fireball. Common sense won the day, as the townspeople returned to their homes.

Lina returned to the inn, leaving Gourry and Sylphiel alone again. "Where are you headed?" she asked quietly.

"Actually, Lina and I are headed for New Sairaag, to see how much it's grown, and also to see you," replied the blond swordsman.

"Oh wonderful, I can come with you, then!" Sylphiel clapped her hands together. Then, her face fell. "But what about the fee for the inn?"

"It's taken care of," Gourry said, nodding. "I explained the situation to the owner, and he said that he'd be happy to help a priestess in need." The mischievous twinkle in his eyes told her the rest of the story, and she giggled.

"Oh, Gourry-sama," she sighed as they made their way to the inn. "What am I to do with you?"

  
_Work In Progress, Please Stand By..._


	2. Chapter Two

Chapter Two

"She asked you to WHAT?!" The flame-haired sorceress was nearly shouting at her traveling companion.

"She asked me to marry her," Gourry replied while cowering at the other end of the table. "Lina, why are you so mad?"

"Mad? I'm not mad, Jellyfish!" Lina paused for a deep breath before gesturing harshly toward the door. "Are you willing to give up adventuring for... her?"

"Oh, I won't be giving up adventure any time soon." Gourry had gathered enough courage to rise to his feet and carefully approach her. "I'll be fighting for the temple now."

"Fighting? What's a temple need a swordsman for?"

"I dunno. Protecting the temple from bad guys, I guess," he replied with a smile. "Maybe some bodyguard work. What does it matter, anyway? I'll be working, and I'll be near Sylphiel."

_Ugh._ Lina winced as she felt a twinge in her stomach for the umpteenth time that day.

Gourry noticed and immediately became concerned. "Lina? Are you okay? Should I call a priestess?"

He reached out to put his hand on her forehead, but she suddenly stepped away, slapping at his hand. "Don't touch me!"

He he jerked his hand back with a puzzled look on his face. "Lina, did I do something wrong?"

_Yes!_ "No! I… I'm… just concerned that Sylphiel might walk in and get the wrong idea, that's all!" she replied nervously.

"Oh, okay Lina." As always, Gourry accepted without having to understand. "But should I call a priestess?"

"No, I'm fine," she lied, then managed a small smile. "Thanks anyway."

"Okay. So, are you coming to the wedding? There'll be plenty of food."

_Hell no!_ "Yeah. Sure. Wouldn't miss it for anything." Another twinge nearly caused her to lose her breakfast, so she excused herself and ran from the room.

Gourry stared after her with a puzzled expression. _Must be that time of the month…_

  


* * *

  
The white and red flags atop the Seyruun temple announced the presence of a wedding ceremony. Flowers of every color dotted the lush green grass of the courtyard. Tall trees stood proud, much like the citizens of Seyruun.

"It's always a pleasure to see two young people make this commitment, to take this important step, in front of friends, family and Ceiphied." began High Priest Balthar. "To pledge their hearts and souls to each other." He paused for a moment before allowing a slight smile. "It's especially a pleasure for me when I get to perform the ceremony."

An appreciative chuckle rose from the gathering. Everyone loved High Priest Balthar. He made ceremonies less nerve-wracking for people by his use of humor in the ceremonies he presided over. Not enough to make it a comedy routine, just enough to keep people at ease.

Only one person didn't enjoy the humor. Or rather, couldn't. She sat stone-faced in her seat in the third row, eyes firmly locked on the clasped hands in her lap. She felt a gentle tap on her right arm and turned her head toward the source.

"Lina-san, are you okay?" came Amelia's concerned voice.

Lina Inverse nodded dumbly, then returned her eyes to her hands.

Amelia studied her friend for a moment longer before a male voice next to her interrupted. "She had her chance. She blew it."

Amelia turned scolding eyes on Zelgadis. "How can you say that? All of us knew how they felt about each other."

The still-chimera looked at her with crossed arms and moderate disbelief. "Can you imagine Gourry thinking to ask anyone to marry him?"

"No, I guess not," Amelia had to admit.

"Quiet. They're starting to exchange vows," came Filia's admonishing voice. Zelgadis and Amelia turned to see the dragon girl's stern expression, and quickly quieted down. Filia returned her gaze to the couple in front of the priest, gave Val's egg an affectionate pat, and murmured, "It's so beautiful…"

"Okay," began the priest, "for those of you without leaflets, this is the part where I ask if anyone has any objections to this wedding." He paused for a moment. "Actually I have a minor one: This place is sweltering. Could someone please open a window or two?"

"Yeah. Please?" Gourry added while tugging at his collar.

There was another wave of chuckling as an usher ran to open the windows.

Amelia elbowed Lina in the ribs. "Lina-san? Shouldn't you say something?" The sorceress didn't react, so she elbowed her again. "Lina-san?"

Lina roughly shrugged off Amelia's elbow before returning her gaze to her hands.

"Well, then," Balthar started, "does anyone know of any reason that these two should not be together?"

He looked to his right. People were either shaking their heads or politely waiting for him to continue.

Looking to his left, he saw the princess of Seyruun elbowing a red-haired young woman, who shrugged her off. "Do we have an objection here?"

Amelia froze and her face turned scarlet as she saw everyone in the room, including the bride and groom, staring at her. After a final glance toward the sullen sorceress, she regained her composure and said, "Forgive me, High Priest. Please continue."

"Very well." Balthar turned his attention from the audience to address the groom in front of him. "Gourry Gabriev!"

Gourry nearly jumped, startled by the sudden use of his name. "Y-yes sir!"

"Calm down son, I didn't mean to startle you. I just need to ask you a few questions, okay?"

"Oh, okay."

"Do you promise to conduct yourself in a manner that is noble and honorable and within the teachings of Ceiphied?"

Gourry never did understand this question, but he remembered the right answer. "I do."

"Good, son." The high priest cleared his throat. "'Scuse me. Do you promise to defend the honor of this woman for as long as you live?"

"I do."

"Okay, one last question and we're done with your part of the quiz: Do you promise to protect this woman for the rest of your life?"

A sudden disturbance distracted the priest. The red-haired young woman had leaped from her seat to the main aisle, and was running for the main double-doors. Princess Amelia followed her after giving the priest an apologetic look. The gathering started to murmur.

"Everyone, please calm down." Balthar used his most reassuring tone, prompting everyone to quickly retake their seats. He returned his attention to Gourry. "Do I need to repeat the question, son?" No answer. "Son?"

Gourry blinked repeatedly, lost in a foggy memory. _I said I'd protect her for the rest of my life. But who…?_

"Gourry-sama?"

Sylphiel's question penetrated the fog. _That's it. It must have been Sylphiel._

Gourry looked at the priest, then at his bride. "I do."

High Priest Balthar smiled broadly, and Sylphiel's eyes shone and she clutched her bouquet more tightly as he turned his attention toward her. "Now, young lady, I need to ask you a couple of questions…"

  


* * *

  
"Lina-san?" Amelia scanned the temple courtyard, but saw no one. "Lina-san?"

Amelia started for the courtyard gates when she heard whimpering to her left. As she approached the source, she found Lina curled up on the opposite side of a tree, barely out of sight of the main walkway. She sat under the tree where she could see her friend's face. After a thoughtful moment, she quietly asked, "Why didn't you ask him, Lina?"

"Who?"

"Gourry."

"Ask him what?" Lina pouted.

Amelia allowed herself to lose some composure. "You know what I'm talking about, Lina Inverse. Or shouldn't it be Lina Gabriev?"

"Shut up."

"You've traveled with him for how long?" Recalling Zelgadis' earlier words, she added, "Do you honestly think that it would occur to him to ask you to marry him?"

"I don't care."

"Liar. If you really don't care, then why have you been so upset for the last week and a half? If you really don't care, why are you out here instead of inside enjoying the wedding?" The princess paused for a moment, slowly shaking her head, then threw her hands in the air. "For that matter, why an I out here instead of inside enjoying the wedding?"

"Why are you?"

"What?"

"I said, 'Why are you?'"

A blink. "I'm trying to help a good friend."

"I don't need any help. Go away."

"B-but Lina…"

Lina finally looked up at the princess, anger and hurt burning in her eyes. "I said get the hell **away from me**!"

Amelia's eyes widened, then saddened. Sometimes Justice seemed to take it on the chin.

Loud cheers erupted from the temple as Amelia got to her feet. "Okay, Lina-san. I'll see you later." She slowly returned to the temple to rejoin the celebration.

Lina Inverse was furious. Lina Inverse felt sick. _That bi…No!_ She couldn't use that word to describe one of her best friends. _She was trying to help you! You're the one being a… What's the matter with you anyway?_

Lina picked herself up off the ground and returned to her room at the palace. Unbidden tears gently flowed as she fell asleep. _Why couldn't the stupid Jellyfish have asked me?…_


	3. Chapter Three

Chapter Three

Gloom shuffled into the princess' room with mussed hair and tear-tracks in her eyes. The idea was to have breakfast with the princess, but Lina's stomach probably didn't want any company.

Amelia and Zelgadis, already seated at the table, gave each other a quick glance before greeting the distressed sorceress. The newly-wedded Gabrievs were eating in a restaurant on the outskirts of Seyruun and finishing plans for their honeymoon, and Filia was on her way back to her shop on the other continent, which left them in charge of dealing with an upset Lina.

Not that the Gabrievs' presence would have helped.

"Good morning, Lina-san."

"Morning, Lina."

"My ass," Lina replied while taking her seat and promptly burying her head in her hands.

The princess and the chimera shared another glance, then Amelia decided to take the initiative. "Did you sleep well?"

"Fine, thanks," Lina mumbled into her hands.

Amelia was in the process of encouraging Zelgadis to say something, when the serving girl came in with breakfast. Noting the sorceress with an expression of concern she said, "Lady Inverse, I'm sorry, I didn't know that you were still here or I would have brought your usual."

Amelia nearly gagged, but before she could reprimand the girl, Lina waved a hand. "It's okay. I'm not really hungry."

The serving girl gave Amelia a puzzled glance before cautiously placing the food on the table. Zelgadis and Amelia waited for Lina to take her portion.

A single white-gloved hand reached out, took a single sausage link and put it on an otherwise empty plate. The hand then reattached itself to its owner's face.

Lina's breakfast companions took one last look at each other before hesitantly reaching out to fill their plates with food.

The princess gnawed thoughtfully on a slice of bacon. _She's taking this really hard._ "Are you sure you have to leave so soon, Lina-san? You're welcome to stay as long as you wish, you know." She looked to Zelgadis as if to say _Would you say something, please?_, to which he returned with _What am I supposed to say?_

"No, I need to get out of here. Besides," Lina lifted her hands from her tear-stained face to give them a small smile, "I have to get you your wedding present, don't I?"

Zelgadis nodded slowly in agreement. To do otherwise might be taking his life into his hands. "Right."

Amelia shot her fiancé an angry look before looking to Lina again. "Please Lina-san, just stay one more night. Please?"

Lina looked into her friends' concerned faces and grimaced. "Okay. But I'm leaving first thing in the morning."

"Thank you." the princess whispered, barely able to hold back the tears.

Breakfast was otherwise uneventful.

  


* * *

  
_It's ironic, really. I defeated Hellmaster Phibrizzo to get him back, and then I'm defeated by a soft-spoken, spineless Shrine Maiden. Lord-sama, you have a strange sense of humor._

Lina sat in the temple that had been used for the prior day's wedding, studying the statue of Ceiphied. The statue was quite old, but due to its construction (and enchantments, she noted), it had aged well.

She lowered her eyes to the marble floor. _I've beaten a piece of Shabranigdo. The man-monster combination of Kopi Rezo and Zanaffar. Kanzel and Mazenda. Hellmaster Phibrizzo. And, yeah, I had help, but I still managed to defeat the Monster-God hybrid Darkstar. All with him at my side. Supporting me. Encouraging me._ She looked back up at the dragon-god statue.

Tears filled her eyes once again. "Now what am I supposed to do…"

  


* * *

  
That night, Zelgadis decided that a walk would do everyone some good.

The Lighting spells were active within the street lamps, casting a soft glow on the surroundings. Besides being the Holy City, part of the reason Seyruun had very little crime was that the light magically illuminated everything, making it difficult for any would-be thieves to hide.

The beauty of it was lost on Lina, as she plodded along behind her friends.

"Hurry up, Lina-san!" Amelia called. The princess had taken over the tour as soon as they set foot outside the palace.

"What's the hurry?" Zelgadis half-whispered.

"If you look at the palace at just the right time and at just the right angle, it looks almost ethereal," she half-whispered back. "It may be what Lina needs to at least get her mind off of Gourry."

"I hope you're right, but I'm not holding my breath," said the chimera.

"Well, we can only try, right?" The princess sent him a smile that drew a chuckle.

"Your optimism never fails to surprise me, Princess." Zelgadis had taken to using Amelia's title as a term of affection, much to her delight.

Amelia blushed before she noticed the sorceress lagging further behind. "Come on, Lina-san!"

"I'm coming, I'm coming." Sometime during the day, Lina had stopped feeling emotion of any kind, becoming a zombie of sorts, only speaking when spoken to.

The trio stopped suddenly when they heard a muffled scream.

"That was from nearby!" Zelgadis exclaimed.

"But where is it coming from?" asked a panicking Amelia.

Lina heard the scream, and decided to come out. She looked around a moment, then pointed and shouted, "Over there! RAY WING!" Lina took flight and headed for a nearby inn.

"Lina! Wait!" called Zelgadis, as he and Amelia flew to catch up.

Lina reached the source of the sound, an upper window at the inn, and slowly approached it. Heightening her hearing, she was able to make out voices.

"Are you okay?" a male voice asked. Lina quickly maneuvered to a more hidden position.

"I'm okay, Gourry-sama," a strained female voice replied. "The Shrine Mother told me it would hurt the first time."

"Well, if you're sure…"

"Oh, yes. Definitely."

As the softer sounds of lovemaking began to drift from the window, Lina's concentration broke and her Ray Wing bubble dissipated.

Zelgadis caught her halfway between the window and the ground, noting her blank expression.

Amelia caught up with the pair, scolding the sorceress. "Lina-san, it's not proper to look…" A quick glance from the chimera silenced her. "What?"

"Amelia, that's the Gabriev's room, and they're… they…" The chimera fumbled for the words, then finally settled for, "They've started their honeymoon…early."

The princess' eyes and mouth became large O's as realization settled in. "Poor Lina."

"I know. That was the last thing she needed," Zelgadis mumbled, as they flew the stunned sorceress back to the palace. 


	4. Chapter Four

Chapter Four

The next morning, Amelia and Zelgadis sat at the breakfast table and waited for Lina to show up. After the previous night's events, they weren't sure what to expect from the normally temperamental redhead.

"O-HAY-O!" Lina's voice suddenly thundered throughout Amelia's bedroom.

From their places under the table, Amelia and Zelgadis considered the situation.

"Maybe it's a copy?" Amelia suggested.

"Not likely," Zelgadis replied.

They resettled into their seats at the table as Lina took hers.

The servant girl poked her head around the door, saw Lina, and asked, "Are you hungrier this morning, Lady Inverse?"

"Bring it on!" Lina gleefully shouted, fist raised.

The servant girl turned her head to nod to someone outside the door. When she came in, she was followed by several other attendants carrying trays of waffles, pancakes, bacon, ham, and the like, all of which somehow found places on the table.

"No need for plates!" Lina exclaimed as she grabbed a waffle. Noticing the syrup, she amended, "Well, maybe I should…"

Amelia and Zelgadis exchanged hesitant smiles before helping themselves to the meal.

Zelgadis gave Amelia a cautious glance before speaking. "You seem…better this morning."

"I feel great! Breakfast is delicious, there are still bandits to punish, treasure to collect, and a present to buy! That, and breakfast is delicious!"

As Lina continued to rave over the meal, Amelia motioned to Zelgadis, who leaned over slightly. "Do you think she even remembers last night?"

Zelgadis shrugged a shoulder. "How should I know? She could be in denial, or worse." He straightened and began working on a pancake.

Amelia's forehead worried itself. _Lina-san…_

  


***************************************************

  
"Thanks for letting me stay another night!" Lina waved to her friends at the northern gate to Seyruun. Closing one eye, she then waved an index finger at them. "And behave yourselves, especially you, Amelia!"

Amelia balled her fists under her chin. "What do you mean Lina-san?" She turned to Zelgadis to ask him, only to find him in Full Blush Mode. Realization hit her. "Oh, ha, I will, don't worry," she called after Lina's diminishing form.

Lina kept the smile on her face until she was sure she was out of sight of the city. Then she ran behind a tree at the side of the road and relieved her distressed stomach.

After cleaning herself up, she returned to the road and continued heading away from Seyruun. Upon arriving at an intersection, she turned and started heading east. She had heard about a bandit gang hideout within Seyruun's borders, and she figured she could relieve some tension while gaining some valuables, by blowing said bandits to kingdom come.

The fight was absurdly one-sided, causing Lina to wonder about the 'quality of bandits these days'.

As she collected the treasure, she felt a strange emptiness. She checked the bag. _No, the bag's full. Some rare coins, some gems, and Wow! a really nice sword that Gourry could…_ She froze.

Lina Inverse, Dragon Spooker, Enemy of All Who Live, and slayer of countless monsters, dropped to her knees in the middle of the flaming wreckage of the bandits' hideout, and began to weep. The bag containing her 'earnings' fell to the ground, spilling its precious contents. Lina didn't even notice.

Somehow, treasure didn't matter to her as much anymore.

A half-hour later, a heavy-hearted and very confused sorceress stood up, regarded the bag lying next to her, took a few coins from the pile, and left the rest.

Behind her, a single hand poked through the rubble…

  


***************************************************

  
_You know, when I traveled through here before, I never even thought to stop and enjoy the beauty of it all. Of course, I was busy saving the world at the time._

Ceiphied had indeed blessed the sorceress with a beautiful scene. Not a cloud marred the blue sky, with the sun a golden orb, bestowing its light upon everything, from the snow-capped mountains in the distance to the yellow petals of the flower Lina picked and gently placed in her hair, to the gleaming silver blade of the sword suddenly shoved in her face.

"Huh?"

"We finally caught up with you, Lina Inverse!" A big, burly man (man? beast? The jury was still out on that one) had seemingly come out of nowhere, along with a group of about fifteen other ruffians. "Think you can toast our friends and get away with it, eh?" He stroked his stubbled chin in thought for a moment. "Tell ya what. Just return everything you stole from us, and maybe we'll go easy on you. Otherwise…" He raised his sword in a menacing fashion.

A voice from the back sounded, "But, boss…"

The boss turned toward the voice. "What?!"

"She only took a couple of the coins. Everything else is still back at camp, in a bag."

"Erk…" the brigand stammered for a moment. He then whirled on Lina. "What's the matter with you? You come in, blow half my men up, and then you don't even take our treasure? What's the matter with you?" Shocked realization washed over his face. "What am I saying??"

"I'm not real sure," began Lina with a smirk, "but I do know that if you don't get out of my way, you'll end up in the same condition as your friends at the camp!"

"Why you little…get her, guys!"

The bandits charged forward as one, each eager to relieve the young sorceress of her life as well as her possessions. Lina's smirk held as orange energy coalesced between her cupped hands. _Finally, a fight!_

She was about to release fiery death on the bandits, when an authoritative voice suddenly shouted, "Hold it right there!" causing all of them, including Lina, to stop short.

The bandit leader took one look at the newcomer and exclaimed, "What the hell…"

Lina turned toward the voice, half expecting to see Gourry. The man that stood before her definitely was not Gourry.

He stood a good head taller than most everyone present, tall but very slender. The shoes on his feet were obviously made of leather, but Lina knew of no one who could style leather in the manner she now saw. His blue pants were of a smooth material she wasn't familiar with. A thin blue necktie snaked into a long gray jacket that hung to just below his knees. Black hair poked out from underneath a hat the same color as the jacket. At the end of an extended arm a hand held the top of an opened wallet. His mannerism suggested that he was presenting something important to the group, perhaps the small medallion that adorned the lower half of the opened wallet.

Lina wanted that medallion.

It was then that she noticed a strange light coming from around the man's head. It appeared to be seated on top of the man's hat, flashing.

The man spoke again, this time addressing the bandits. "You're all under arrest! Come quietly, and there will be no trouble!"

The bandit leader looked at the flashing man, back at his men, then back to the flashing man. Then he started laughing hysterically. "What are ya gonna do?! Hit me with your wallet?!!" he howled.

Even Lina had to snicker. _What's with this guy? He's like Amelia or something._

The newcomer was unimpressed. He put the wallet back in his jacket, crouched slightly, then announced, "I gave you fair warning! Go-go Gadget arms!"

Lina watched dumfounded as the man's arms suddenly extended to several times their original length, reaching toward the group of bandits. The arms started to circle the group and constrict, squeezing the bandits together.

Unfortunately, Lina was caught in the middle of the group at the time, and found herself in the newcomer's lethal embrace. "Hey!" she shouted, only her head visible within the mass of bodies. "I'm the victim here! Get me out!!"

The newcomer realized what he had done. "Wowsers! Sorry miss, I'll get you out of there! Go-go Gadget necktie!"

Lina dreaded what would happen next, but was still surprised to see the man suddenly fall on his backside. The resulting increase in pressure on the group popped Lina out of it like a cork from a bottle, landing face-first near the fallen man. She pushed herself to her elbows just in time to see a set of wheels disappear into the bottoms of his shoes.

Leaping to her feet, she whirled on the bandit gang while charging up another Fireball. "Thanks, mister, now it's my turn! FIRE-BALL!"

"Yikes!" the long-limbed man cried, pulling his arms back into his body.

"Yikes!" the bandit leader cried, just before being burned to a crisp.

As the well-done bandits headed for the hills, Lina turned to her 'savior'. _I could have handled that myself, but I suppose I should thank him._ Lina had an odd feeling of déjà vu. "Uh, thanks for saving me!"

"My pleasure, young lady," the man said, "but now you're under arrest for assault!" A chain with a silver bracelet suddenly appeared from his wrist and fastened itself to her own.

Lina pulled at the chain as her unrestrained hand found her head. "Assault!! What are you talking about??"

"They may have been criminals, but they still have rights until they're proven guilty!"

"RIGHTS?? WHAT ARE YOU…!" Lina stopped herself, narrowing her eyes as she took another close look at the man. "You aren't from around here, are you?" she asked, her voice more even this time.

He looked around, at the trees, the mountain, the dirt road, finally meeting Lina's eyes once more. He extended an index finger. "No, I'm not. To be honest, I'm quite lost." He withdrew the bracelet.

Lina stepped away from the man rubbing her formerly-shackled wrist. "Well, I've got nothing else to do, let's see if we can help you get back home," Lina sighed. _Not quite the adventure I was hoping for, but it'll do._ "By the way, what's your name?"

The stranger proudly drew himself to full height. "My name is Inspector Gadget." 


	5. Chapter Five

Chapter Five

"Okay, let me get this straight: You can't remember your real name, but you're called Inspector Gadget. You live in Metro City where you're a…a…" Lina struggled to remember the word.

"Policeman," Gadget supplied.

"...policeman," Lina continued, "you were on your way to a case involving a terrorist named Dr… Claw?"

The inspector nodded.

"And finally, you can't sell me your medallion because it's actually a… badge," another nod,"…that tells people who you are."

"Very good," he replied.

"Now it's your turn," said Lina.

"My turn?" The inspector looked puzzled. "Oh, right. Your name is Lina Inverse, you're from Zephillia, and you're a famous… sorceress who has saved the world several times."

"Right on." She studied the inspector for a moment before stopping. "So how were you able to do that thing with your arms earlier? I've even been to the New World, but I never saw anyone who could do that. Are you a golem or something?"

"Hmmm." Gadget stopped for a moment, putting a hand to his chin in deep thought. Finally he concluded, extending his index finger, "I can't remember!"

After picking herself up off the ground, she asked, "What do you mean, you can't remember?!"

"As far as I know, I've always been this way."

"Well, you can't have been born like that," the sorceress decided. "Can you do anything besides make your arms long?"

"Of course!" he exclaimed. "Go-go Gadget…"

"Wa-wa-wait," Lina interrupted. "Do you always have to say 'Go-go Gadget' before everything?"

"Of course not. Only when I want to use one of my gadgets," he replied, as Lina fell to the ground for the second time. "Now, then…Go-go Gadget Police Light!"

A red dome rose from the top of the inspector's head and began flashing. Lina recognized the light from earlier. _Is this a new kind of magic or something? Can't be, I'd at least have heard of it._ "Anything else?"

"Go-go Gadget Legs!" In the blink of an eye, Inspector Gadget grew to about 40 feet tall as his legs extended to several times their normal length, much like his arms did earlier.

Lina cupped her hands to her mouth and shouted at the stilted man. "What else?"

"What?"

"I said 'What else?'"

Gadget withdrew his legs until he was normal height again. "What?"

Lina grabbed his ear and shouted into it. "WHAT ELSE?!"

He pulled away, wiggling a finger in the offended ear. "You didn't need to shout." He then looked at his hands. "Well, there's the Gadgetphone." He pulled a short wire from the end of his left thumb and tapped the pad of the pinky on the same hand. Putting his hand to his head, he appeared to listen for a moment before deciding, "Nope. I seem to be out of range." Pulling the end of the index finger of his left hand off, he presented it to her, saying "Go-Go-Gadget Flashlight?" Lina angled her head with an expression that read _Get Real_.

Remembering her earlier demonstration of fire-tossing, he re-capped his finger, then pulled the fingertip of his right hand, where a small nozzle resided. He pointed the finger at a nearby rock. "Go-go Gadget Laser!"

A beam of light shot from his hand and into the rock, neatly splitting it in two.

Lina was ecstatic. "Whoo-hoo! Now you're talking! Sell that to me."

Gadget looked at her incredulously. "I can't, it's part of my hand!"

"Hmmm." Lina pondered the possibilities. _At least he's on my side, so it's mine in a sense…_ Shaking off yet another sense of déjà vu, she changed the subject. "But you don't remember how you ended up like this."

"That's correct."

"Sounds like amnesia. The only people who know how to cure amnesia are white magic practitioners, and the only one who would know how at this point would be…" _Sylphiel. Gods, I'm not ready to deal with her again._

"Who?"

"Hmm?" Lina was jarred from her thoughts.

"Who?"

"Who? Oh, Sylphiel." Lina tried to keep the disgust out of her voice, but the puzzled expression on the inspector's face told her that she failed. Smiling weakly, she added, "An old friend."

"I see. Well, where is she now?"

"On her honeymoon," Lina ground out, "but she should be back in New Sairaag by the time we get there."

"I hope I'm not causing you any trouble, Lina," said the inspector, noting her distress.

"No, it's just that I, uh…haven't seen her in a while, yeah," Lina chuckled nervously.

  


* * *

  
The journey to New Sairaag was fairly uneventful…by Lina's standards, at least. Gadget received a tutorial on the region including the kingdoms, ruling bodies, and the like. He seemed fascinated, although he managed to confuse the sorceress by referring to it all as 'medieval'. Between Lina's sorcery and the inspector's unusual abilities, they managed to rout a few bandit gangs and gain a little money.

The inspector still had his misgivings. "Are you sure this is okay? This money doesn't belong to us."

Lina looked up from where she was filling her second bag and gave him an impish grin. "It does now." She returned to collecting. "Seriously though, these bandits stole from innocent people, mostly merchants. I don't have any way to return it to them since none of it is marked, so I keep it." He still didn't look convinced, so she said, "Look. I only steal from bandits, and the money I find is spent in restaurants and inns, so the money ends up back in the merchants' hands again anyway. Now is it okay?"

"Sorry Lina. I can see that you're doing your best."

Lina hefted the last bag to her shoulder. "Don't worry about it. If I were trained to be a policeman the way you describe, I'd probably react the same way. Now, carry this." She presented the bag to him and watched amazed as he took it from her one-handed. "Jeez, you're strong! I don't think even Gourry could…" A wave of nausea overcame her and she dropped to her knees. _All right, how long am I going to be like this!?_

Strong, gentle hands helped her to her feet. She looked up into Gadget's concerned face. "Are you all right, Lina?"

"Yeah, I just had a dose of bad memory, that's all."

Gadget paused in thought. "You mentioned a… Gourry? What is that?"

"He…" Lina swallowed hard. "He was a…traveling companion of mine."

"It looks like he hurt you at some point."

She nodded. "He…did, but he didn't mean to." She sighed heavily. "Listen, can we change the subject?"

The inspector regarded her for a moment. Nodding, he said, "All right."

Lina noticed a hesitation. "What is it? Say it."

"If… you ever want to talk about it, I'll be happy to listen."

A blink. "Hey, thanks."

"My pleasure, young lady!" Gadget's usual gusto returned.

"I know," Lina chuckled, "you're 'always on duty'!"

"Right! You know, you remind me of my niece…"

Lina's face brightened. "I do? Ooooh tellmetellmetellme!"

This drew a laugh from the inspector as he lifted the bag to his shoulder again. "Well, her name is Penny…"

  


* * *

  
New Sairaag had to be one of, if not the most resilient cities Lina had ever visited. Rezo had destroyed much of it when it was just Sairaag, Hellmaster Phibrizzo remade it in his 'own image', but the city remained, almost like a living creature fighting for its life.

Even knowing all that, Lina was still surprised when she and her traveling companion crested the last hill and saw… "Flagoon??"

The divine tree stood proud in the middle of the small village of New Sairaag. A smaller tree than last time, but present nonetheless.

Lina stared, dumbfounded. A voice sounded from her left. "What's the matter, Lina?"

"That tree was destroyed! At least, I thought it was…" The sorceress started running toward the village. "Ray Wing!"

Gadget called after her. "Wait for me, Lina! Go-Go-Gadget Skates!"

After arriving at the outskirts of town, Lina grabbed a nearby villager, a priestess, pointed at the tree and asked, "What is that?"

The surprised priestess gently removed Lina's grip from her robe and smiled. "My dear child, that is Flagoon."

A **WHUMP** from a nearby tree signified the inspector's arrival.

"That can't be! Phibrizzo destroyed it!"

"Destroyed what?" Apparently, Gadget had arrived in time to hear the last part of her sentence.

"That tree!" Lina said, still dumbfounded. "That tree was destroyed, jeez, maybe a year ago!"

Gadget looked from Lina to the tree and back again before the priestess spoke. "I see you two have many questions regarding Flagoon. If you visit our Shrine, Mother Sylphiel will be happy to answer any questions you may have." The priestess noted Lina's clothing, blinked, then asked, "I hope I'm not being rude, but would you happen to be Lina Inverse?"

Lina nodded dumbly, eyes still fixated on the tree.

The priestess clapped her hands together. "Thank goodness! So you received the message?"

Lina dragged her attention away from the tree long enough to talk. "Message?"

"Yes. Mother Sylphiel sent a summons request several days ago. Oh, you must hurry! She has been quite distressed!"

Lina hesitated until she felt a hand on her shoulder. "Lina, if someone's in trouble, I have a duty to help them." Gadget informed her. "If you don't want to do it, I'll go in your place."

She shook her head as though to clear it, then smiled. "No offense, but if I'm asked to do something, it's usually because no one else can." She gently punched him in the shoulder. "Let's go."

_I hope I'm ready for this…_


	6. Chapter Six

Chapter Six

"Lina-san!" Shrine Mother Sylphiel quickly descended the steps of the newly-built shrine to greet her old friend. "Thank you for coming! I was afraid you would not get my message!"

"Actually I didn't get your message," Lina said, ignoring the twinge in her stomach. "We came here to see if you could help him," she finished, gesturing to the man beside her.

"What is your name, my child?"

For some strange reason, Gadget felt suddenly at ease around this girl. "I am Inspector Gadget."

Sylphiel pondered his response for a moment. "May I assume that Inspector is your title and Gadget is your name?"

He nodded.

"What is troubling you?"

Before Gadget could reply, Lina answered, "We think it's amnesia. But first things first: Is that Flagoon?"

Sylphiel's face brightened. "Yes, it is! After Phibrizzo was defeated, the town reverted back to its previous state. Shortly after that, a sapling appeared where his dome used to be." She spread her hands, gesturing in the direction of the tree. "Within four months, Flagoon grew to the size you now see!"

For some reason, Lina felt relieved. _After all this town's been through, I guess_ she sighed.

"Now, we need to look into your friend's trouble." Sylphiel returned her eyes to the inspector. "But we cannot do that here. If it is amnesia, I will need time to prepare."

"Prepare for what?" asked Lina and Gadget in unison.

The shrine mother turned toward the inspector. "Well, I will need to examine your consciousness, and that takes such a toll on me."

Gadget's eyes widened. "You're going to read my mind?"

Sylphiel giggled softly. "No, my child. What I do is search your consciousness for any blockages, walls if you wish, and remove them."

Lina stood dumfounded for the third time that day. _She can do that?_ "But how do you do that without reading his thoughts?"

"One does not have to intently examine the river to see that there is an obstruction. Simply observing the flow of the water will suffice."

Lina found herself respecting the former shrine maiden more than before. _I guess she does deserve Gourry more than I do. She's smart, can heal…all I ever really did was hit him…_

Sylphiel turned back toward the man in gray. "Please forgive my rudeness, Inspector, but I must speak with Lina-san alone. Would you excuse us for a few minutes?"

Gadget blinked. "Of course."

Sylphiel gestured to a long hallway nearby. "The kitchen is through the first door on the left, if you are hungry, and a small flower garden with benches just outside the doors at the end of the hall." She giggled softly. "Or, you could just look around like everyone else does."

"Thank you, Shrine Mother."

"Please, if you are a friend of Lina-san's, please call me Sylphiel."

"Thank you, Sylphiel," the inspector amended. He pinched the brim of his hat with his thumb and index finger, tilted his head slightly, then made his way down the hall toward the garden.

The women watched his departing form until Lina commented, "He didn't eat much on the way here. I'm surprised he didn't head for the kitchen."

"He is a real gentleman. Just like Gourry-sam-" Sylphiel cut herself off as she saw Lina suddenly go rigid. Guilt washed over her. _She still has not recovered, has she?_ Hoping to defuse a potential bomb, she quickly gestured down another hallway and said, "Shall we talk in my office?"

"Fine with me," the sorceress' blank voice replied.

  


* * *

  
"Wowsers! When she said flower garden…"

He found himself standing among what seemed like miles upon miles of flowers. In reality, the garden couldn't have been more than 30 feet square, but with the way that the flowers were arranged, their colors, and their general health (he couldn't find a weed anywhere), the garden seemed much larger.

Coming upon an unusual flower, he said "Go-Go Gadget Magnifying Glass." A segmented arm with a hand wielding a magnifying lens unfolded from the top of his hat. "Hmm." He peered closely. "Like a tulip, only it looks like it's breathing…"

He finished examining the flower, straightened while retracting the extra hand, and headed toward the south end of the garden. As he neared the southern-bordering hedges, several small metal plates extended to encircle his ear as he heard several grunts and groans. Curious, he peered over the brush.

A tall blond-haired man was busy swinging his sword at empty air. After several swings, he sat down on a nearby bench and started wiping his face with a towel.

_Very interesting._ Gadget hyperextended his legs to step over the hedge as he withdrew his hearing amplifier, then walked over to the…_swordsman, that's what they're called._ Trying to effect a British accent, he said, "Hello, my good man!"

The man gave Gadget a once-over before responding. "Hey. How's it going?"

The inspector, momentarily caught off-guard, recovered. _Not British._ "It's…going quite well, thank you. I am Inspector Gadget."

"Gourry Gabriev." Gourry smiled and extended his hand. "Nice to meet you."

After suffering more surprise, Gadget smiled and accepted the proffered hand. A firm grip welcomed him. "I hope I'm not bothering you, Mr. Gabriev, but I heard you …working out and thought I'd introduce myself."

"S'okay, but if you're here to see Sylphiel, you'll need to go through the front door," Gourry said while gesturing at the building.

"Actually, I've already seen her. She said that she'd help me with my amnesia, but needed time to get ready."

Gourry worked a stiff shoulder. "Yeah, fixing heads usually takes a lot out of her. When's she gonna help you?"

"I don't know yet," Gadget replied. "She asked me to come outside while she talked to Lina about some-"

The swordsman suddenly jumped up from his seat. "Lina? Lina Inverse?"

Gadget jumped back in surprise. "Yes. Why do you ask?"

Gourry bolted for the access door at the rear of the shrine, leaving the inspector alone in the training yard.

Left to his own thoughts, Gadget could only come up with _Maybe he knows her…_

  


* * *

  
"Tea, Lina-san?"

"Thank you."

Two lumps of sugar later, the shrine mother and the sorceress sat across from each other, awkwardly trying to decide who should speak first.

Sylphiel was the first to bite her lip, so she started. "Lina-san, please understand, I never meant to cause you any pain."

Lina faked an almost-convincing smile. "Pain? What do you mean?"

The shrine mother tilted her head, a mildly irritated expression marring her otherwise flawless features. "Lina, I am nowhere near as naïve as I used to be, nor as stupid as you seem to think I am. You are still somewhat angry with me for marrying Gourry, how angry I may never know. Your anger is as plain as day." She paused to regain her composure. "Forgive me. I vowed to not lose my temper with you."

The young sorceress sighed while waving a hand. "Forget it, I had it coming."

Sylphiel took that as acceptance. "Thank you." She looked down at her twiddling thumbs for a moment before meeting Lina's eyes. "And please forgive me for taking Gourry-sama away from you."

"What's to forgive? You love him, he loves you…I…I was just in the way." Lina could not believe the words coming out of her own mouth.

Sylphiel wrung her hands as though to restore circulation. "Lina, do…I mean have you ever…wondered how I know…" For the first time since becoming Shrine Mother, Sylphiel could not finish a sentence.

"No." Lina honestly never thought of anything beyond herself. Until Phibrizzo, at least. "But now that you mention it, how do you know him?"

The shrine mother sighed, relieved that the redhead's legendary temper had decided to take a break. "I would guess that it happened shortly before he met you," she started. "A well-organized group of ruffians had decided to make us their victims. They set up a camp near Sairaag and began terrorizing us."

Sylphiel's hands balled up on her thighs as she continued. "We sent out a request for any mercenaries in the area to come and protect us. Unfortunately…"

"…None of the messages got very far," Lina finished, dread forming in her stomach. "I remember hearing about this."

The shrine mother could only nod in response. One deep breath later, she continued. "Flagoon smiled on us that day, however. A young man, a mercenary, happened to be in our town at the time, doing housework for an elderly widow." Sylphiel smiled slightly at the memory.

The expression on Sylphiel's face caused Lina's stomach to begin some light aerobics. "It was Gourry, wasn't it?"

"Hmm?" Jarred from her memories, Sylphiel's eyes snapped up to meet Lina's. "Oh! Yes, it was Gourry-sama."

Lina's stomach decided that light aerobics was for wimps and graduated to heavy. "How did he take care of the bandits?" she ground out.

Lina sat dumbstruck as a hint of...desire?... started to glow within the shrine mother's eyes. "He…" Sylphiel had to swallow before continuing. "He snuck into the camp dressed as one of them and killed the leader. Then he attacked the surprised ruffians and, after a long battle, drove them off." Now Sylphiel's eyes started to glisten. "However, Gourry-sama did not get away 'scot-free', as they say. He suffered all sorts of sword-related injuries; Cuts, slashes, punctures…"

Lina had to swallow, sending the lump in her throat to the disco party in her stomach at the images the shrine mother's descriptions evoked. "And…" She cleared her throat one last time as she saw where this was leading. "And you took care of him?"

Sylphiel nodded wordlessly. "At the time, I was technically an initiate. But because I seemed to have a natural aptitude for healing, and all the full-fledged priests and priestesses had been drained from caring for victims, townsfolk and otherwise, he was left in my care." She held up her hands, which were shaking slightly. "In my nervous hands. While I took care of him, I developed an…attraction toward him."

Lina knew she was jumping ahead, but didn't care as her facade began to fracture. "So why'd you do it, Sylphiel? You **knew** how he and I felt about each other, didn't you?" Tears started to form, as she also began trembling slightly. "He and I…were supposed to travel…"

The shrine mother matched her tear for tear. "I know, Lina, I know…but he needs someone who can appreciate him." The rest of Sylphiel's body started to visibly shake as her face took on interesting shades of red. "All…All…All you can seem to do is hit him!" she shouted, before catching herself, her face starting to turn green.

But not as green as the red Lina was becoming. "HIT HIM?" Break time had ended, as previously shed tears evaporated under the heat of blossoming fury. "YOU WANNA SEE HITTIN', SISTER?"

The door opened just as Lina threw her punch, and Gourry dashed in just in time to intercept her fist with his stomach. "OOOFFF!" He reflexively doubled over, but still fell onto his backside at his wife's feet. "That hurt…" Sylphiel quickly knelt beside him to tend to any injuries as Lina looked at her fist, nausea replacing anger.

Lina had taken the first step of three needed to reach the couple when a gray mass suddenly blocked her way. "What happened?" she heard the inspector demand.

The shrine mother turned cold eyes on Lina Inverse. "Inspector, would you please take Ms. Inverse outside for some fresh air?"

Gadget, while not knowing exactly what was going on, nonetheless obliged. "All right." He turned to the distraught sorceress. "Let's go look at the flowers, Lina."

Sylphiel could swear she saw the words _I'm sorry_ form on the sorceress' lips before leaving with the inspector, as she knelt down to tend to her husband. 


	7. Chapter Seven

Chapter Seven

Gadget examined a blossom that struck an interesting resemblance to a pansy, only this one had an actual face. "Really should ask if I can bring one of these home for Penny…"

His seatmate on the park bench examined her gently kicking feet, which turned out to be not quite as interesting. _Idiot! Idiot! Just had to lose your temper, didn't you?_ "I'm sure the groundskeeper wouldn't mind…"

Her offering drew his attention away from a rather flirtatious bud, and he turned so look directly at her…forehead. "Lina? What happened in there?"

"I don't want to talk about it."

Gadget sighed deeply. "Normally, I wouldn't mind. But I'm lost, and you're the only one I can really trust right now. But with what I've seen so far, I wonder…" Running out of thought, he stopped.

Lina understood what he was getting at, though. From what he had seen of her so far, there was no reason for him to believe that she was the heroine that she claimed to be. So why should he trust her? "You can trust me, Gadget." She matched his sigh of earlier. "I guess I am what you would consider a thief." She paused as another thought took hold. "It hardly seems like it's been only a year…"

Her seatmate's expression changed to one of thought. "A year since what?"

"Since Darkstar. Actually, I guess I've had to grow up pretty quickly since facing Phibrizzo." Her brow wrinkled. "Actually, since fighting the piece of Shabranigdo." She paled a little. "Actually, since meeting…" She couldn't finish the thought.

Gadget experienced a rare moment of intuition. "Since meeting Gourry?"

Lina nodded.

The inspector decided to press the issue. But only a little. "He means a lot to you, doesn't he?"

"Criminy, even you can tell. Is it that obvious?"

"I think I can tell."

The young sorceress didn't hear his response, lost in her train of thought. "The jellyfish was never s'posed to marry." Her voice took on a wishful tone. "He and I were s'posed to travel, discover new places, kill new bad guys. I dunno, maybe he and I would marry someday, but I never had any reason to think about it."

"And then Sylphiel came along and messed everything up?"

Lina snorted. "Something like that. Amazing. I didn't know she had it in her. I guess I should've seen it when she got in my face after Phibrizzo kidnapped him. Kidnapped Gourry, that is."

"I see."

"Then, when she stayed here instead of coming to the New World with us, I guess I forgot about her." She snorted again. "But she sure didn't forget about Gourry. My bad, I guess."

Gadget nodded thoughtfully. "This reminds me of the time with Penny and a boy from school…wait a minute…did she have the crush on him?…"

Lina slowly raised her eyes to the inspector's face.

"…Ronnie?…no, Tommy… You know what, I think he had the crush on her."

Lina's face began to hint at a disbelieving smile.

"Yes, I distinctly remember having to console him and his…father."

The sorceress could take no more. Exploding into laughter, the sadness and tension abated for the moment, Lina threw her arms around the inspector. "Thanks, I really needed that."

"You're welcome," he replied, thoroughly confused. "But I don't see how I helped."

Lina jumped up from the bench and tugged at the inspector's arm. "C'mon. I have some apologizing to do." _Apologizing? Lina Inverse?_ Lina told the voice to _shove it_ and dragged the inspector back inside.

  


* * *

  
Lina Inverse set her jaw. She had faced many tough opponents several of them capable of killing her and her then-traveling companions several times over. But all of those monsters paled in comparison to her current foe.

Her ego.

"Sylphiel...I'm sorry for trying to hit you. Gourry, I'm sorry for actually hitting you. There. How'd I do?" She looked up at the owner of the encouraging hand resting on her shoulder. Inspector Gadget returned a reassuring smile accompanied by a slight nod.

In the chairs across from her, the Gabrievs sat in near-shock. At least Sylphiel did. Lina never apologized to anyone. At least not as sincerely as she was at that moment. After one moment of staring at the redhead in disbelief, at her husband for one more, back at Lina for a third, Sylphiel shocked herself back to reality. "F-Forgiven and forgotten, Lina-san."

Lina sighed in relief at the 'friendly' use of her name. She looked to Gourry. "Forgotten already, Gourry?"

"I guess. Is it my turn to say 'I'm sorry'?"

"Lina hit you in the stomach when you came in the room, Gourry-sama," Sylphiel reminded him gently.

Gourry nodded vigorously. "Oh yeah. Already forgotten, I guess. I wondered why my stomach hurt…"

Lina had to hold back a snicker when she heard a quiet voice say, "And I thought I had amnesia…"

  


* * *

  
The second meeting went more smoothly, as the men had decided to attend, mainly to keep tempers from flaring.

Not that either of them would have understood the concepts Sylphiel was outlining, anyway.

"I first noticed it about four months after the wedding. A dark aspect hung over Gourry-sama."

Lina managed to ignore the shrine mother's use of Gourry's name. "Aspect?"

"I am sorry, it is the best name I can think of to describe it. Because shrine maidens are bathed in the light of Ceiphied, we are able to detect evil entities and their emanations, or auras."

Lina nodded. "I think I'm with you so far."

Sylphiel returned her nod before continuing. "As I was saying, about four months after the wedding, I noticed an evil, but weak, aura emanating from Gourry-sama." She paused for a moment. "This was about three weeks ago."

Lina leaned forward, suddenly more interested. "Go on."

"After the necessary preparations I examined his consciousness, as you will see me do for the inspector later, and I found something."

Lina was practically on the edge of her seat. "What? What did you find?"

Sylphiel suddenly looked very vulnerable. "I found…I found another consciousness within Gourry-sama."

Both Lina and the inspector were stunned. "Another…You mean somebody else is inside Gourry's head?" Lina asked.

Sylphiel nodded while biting at her lower lip. "Something evil is 'living' inside Gourry-sama's head. I believe that is why he has a hard time remembering things."

The sorceress leaned back in her chair. "Makes sense…" A beat, and then, "I think I know why you want me here. You're going to do one of those exorcism-thingys, and you want me here to kill it when it pops out of his head."

The shrine mother nodded again. "I have never performed an exorcism before, so I do not know where the entity will go when it is removed. Also, I will be severely drained as a result, so I need someone I can trust to protect me. Normally, Gourry-sama would protect me, but…"

"I got it. So when are you gonna do this?"

Sylphiel wrinkled her delicate nose. "I will be performing the inspector's examination tonight, and it takes me a half-day to recover…meditations…" She allowed herself a few more moments before concluding, "The second day from tomorrow? You may stay here for the duration of your visit."

Lina pondered the Shrine Mother's offer. Finally, she leaned forward and asked the all-important question: "Food?"

Sylphiel smiled weakly. "You will be provided for, both of you." She secretly hoped that the recent donations would be enough.

  
_Work in progress, please stand by..._


End file.
